By the LifeWay Kids Staff

Who’s Shirley you may ask? Shirley is our resident LifeWay VBS Snack Queen. She has the gift of hospitality and loves sharing through the gift of food. So it’s no wonder we’ve been calling on her to use her gifts to help with the creating, testing, and making of VBS snacks since 1997. She began making themed snacks for our VBS writer’s conference and then moved on to helping with testing of the snacks in 2002.

So, you’ll be glad to know that Shirley agreed to share with us her top five VBS Snack picks—along with her special tips and suggestions for making VBS snacks easy and fun.

Shirley’s Top Five Snacks
(These snack picks can be used year round!)
1. Mt. Extreme (1999)—S’more Mountain Mix: mini marshmallows, chocolate chips and Golden Grahams™ cereal
2. Truth Trackers (2001)—Rubble: oyster crackers mixed with oil and powdered ranch dressing
3. Ramblin Road Trip (2005)—Patriotic Parfaits: Red and blue gelatin layered and topped with whipped topping and a flag
4. Saddle Ridge Ranch (2010)—Belt Buckle Cookies: Sugar cookies baked in the shape of a belt buckle topped with frosting and decorated with mini candies.
5. Big Apple Adventure (2011)— I Heart Brownies: Baked brownies cut into heart shapes and dipped in red frosting.

Shirley’s Snack Prep Tips
Shirley helps our VBS team think through the snacks we suggest to balance sugar versus healthy snacks, watch for food allergies, as well as ease of use and preparation. Follow these tips to make preparation for large or small groups easy as pie!

1. Plan the week and choose snacks that can be prepared ahead of time for larger groups.
2. Look for snacks that may call for some common ingredients so you can shop in bulk.
3. Collect non-perishable items through Sunday School classes who sponsor a certain snack or ingredient.
4. Bring all the ingredients and have a bake-off.
5. Get the kids involved in assembling their own snacks.

When it comes to your VBS Snack Rotation, if you’re looking for those teachable moments and being creative then snack time is sure to be something kids look forward to each day of VBS!